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Politicians, the Public and Political Ethics: Worlds Apart

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 December 2005

Michael M. Atkinson  and
Gerald Bierling
Michael M. Atkinson
Affiliation:
University of Saskatchewan
Gerald Bierling
Affiliation:
McMaster University
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Abstract

Abstract. Increased regulation of political ethics has not produced a growing satisfaction with the conduct of politics or the behaviour of politicians. We examine the proposition that regulation produces a convergence of attitudes and expectations between politicians and the public in the realm of political ethics. A distinction is drawn between political ethics conceived as a policy issue and as a process issue. Two models based on that distinction are derived and examined in the context of data drawn from Canada. We observe differences between politicians and the public on critical dimensions, differences that overpower partisan positions. Our conclusions support, with some reservations, the “worlds apart” model and caution against an overinvestment in ethics regulation as a means of restoring public faith in the political process.

Résumé. Les citoyens ne sont pas plus satisfaits du processus politique ni du comportement des politiciens depuis que l'éthique politique est plus réglementée. Nous étudions la prémisse selon laquelle la réglementation produit, en ce qui a trait à l'éthique politique, une convergence des attitudes et des attentes entre les politiciens et l'électorat. Deux conceptions distinctes de l'éthique politique émergent de notre propos: celle qui renvoie aux politiques en tant que telles et celle qui renvoie au processus politique. Sur la base de cette distinction, nous dérivons ainsi deux modèles et les examinons dans le contexte de données recueillies au Canada. Nous observons entre les politiciens et l'électorat certaines différences dans des domaines essentiels et ces différences transcendent les lignes partisanes. Nos conclusions soutiennent, avec quelques réserves, le modèle des “mondes à part” et mettent en garde contre une surenchère de la réglementation de l'éthique pour restaurer la confiance de l'électorat envers le processus politique.

Type
Research Article
Information
Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue canadienne de science politique , Volume 38 , Issue 4 , December 2005 , pp. 1003 - 1028
Copyright
© 2005 Cambridge University Press

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